Child Hassam
Childe Hassam, an American Impressionist, created Celia Thaxter’s Garden in 1890. However, Hassam saw himself as an artist who focused on the concepts of air and light rather than a general Impressionist. He created a bright painting full of poppies to direct the viewers away from the intensity of society at the time. Hassam uses poppies as his main focal point because of their profound symbolism in sacrifice and post-war. Hassam spent some time studying in Paris, 1886-1889, where he began to admire the French Impressionist style. While he was in Paris, he became very fond of the works of J.M.W Turner, a famous English watercolorist who specialized in landscapes. Ever since Hassam became fascinated with Turner, he began to incorporate Turner's styles into his landscapes, capturing the same kind of aura in the atmosphere. He learned a new brushstroke technique that he incorporated into his future works, the brushstrokes can be described as broken, rapid, and flickering. Hassam began to incorporate new kinds of vibrant colors into his pieces to capture certain angles of light within his paintings.
Celia Thaxter’s Garden was made in 1890 during the rise of American modernization, in the period referred to as the Gilded Age. During this time, America shifted into an urban industrial society experiencing growth in population as well as technological advancements like cars, etc. Despite the advancements, there were many downsides to the new urban lifestyle. For example, massive immigration reduced the amount of living space and drastic levels of income inequality. Considering that Hassam created the painting during this social state, it seems to contradict and neglect all of the commotion that America was experiencing during this time. The painting makes it feel as if the island is isolated from the rest of society.
Looking deeper at the painting, Hassam used the scaling method to show perspective within the piece. He paints the poppies larger than the other flowers to bring them closer to the eye and paints the rocks amongst the water smaller than the flowers to create the illusion that they are further in the distance. Hassam's broken brushstroke technique, which he acquired during his studies in Paris, creates a soft look amongst the flowers and plants in the garden, furthering that contrast between the harsh rocky landscape and the soft flowers surrounding it. He incorporates bright colors through the poppies and other small flowers to show the light from the sun, which is another aspect he adopted during his studies in Paris.
Hassam uses the height of the flowers to direct your eyes to the center of the painting. The flowers on the outer sides are significantly taller than the rest, reaching to the top of the canvas, with the flowers in the center being shorter, allowing the audience to see a small portion of water just beneath the rocks. All the different layers and scales in the painting suggest that Hassam wanted the gaze to fall right onto the rock closest to the shore. He keeps the eye in the middle of the painting by placing the poppies in the garden center.
Hassam’s main focus of the garden lies on the poppies; he uses vibrant reds with slight yellows, while the rest of the flowers and foliage are more muted tones to keep the viewer's eyes locked into the center. Although the flowers seem to be in an entangled mess, the flowers on the sides of the painting remain straight, giving the garden structure. The water has specks of white in it to reflect the glimmering light from the sun. Even though the sun is not in view, the sky is clear without any clouds indicating that the sun shining from directly above, alluding to the idea that it is a bright afternoon. Hassam paints two sailboats, very small, to the right of the furthest rock, giving the illusion that they are very far out on the sea or lake. He uses a layering technique on the left-hand side of the painting and light layering through the middle top of the garden to show that the taller flowers are in front of the rocks.
Hassam created Celia Thaxter’s Garden during his peak talent as an American Impressionist. This piece is the first of three in his Isles Scholas scene collection. All three paintings are oil on canvas and depict Thaxter’s Garden filled with poppies and foliage. Celia Thaxter was a poet and a patron of the arts; she was Hassam's mentor and muse, and she and her garden inspired his entire collection. She had a house in Maine on the Isles Scholas that she would invite writers and artists to come to in the summer to work, this sparked Hassam to create his Impressionist collection of Isles Scholas. Thaxter’s poems shed new light onto nature, viewing it from a non-gendered perspective – she wanted to establish the idea that nature is supposed to be a harmonious environment between the earth and humans. Hassam was known to paint the environment he was submerged in; Thaxter's garden was filled with delicate flowers, plants, and an abundance of poppies to contradict the harsh landscape surrounding them.
There are many hidden meanings to poppies that both Thaxter and Hassam were aware of. In Greek mythology, poppies can represent Hypnos’ dreams or possibly his brother Thanatos' death. Poppies can also suggest sacrifice; this is because poppies are the first flowers to bloom on old, withered battlegrounds. They were once referred to as burning coals of heaven by John Ruskin. Ruskin was an artist and poet who believed people should submerge themselves into nature without preconceived notions or emotions. Ruskin's words could be connected to Hassam’s work, as he similarly submerged himself into nature and painted it for what it is. Thaxter’s and Hassam’s awareness of the symbolism that poppies hold created a new perspective on the creation of her garden and the painting itself.
Some see Celia Thaxter’s Garden as the product of imagining and manifesting an archipelago of Stratford. Hassam, situated on such an island and exposed to the ocean, allowed him to explore new thinking methods and uncover different meanings in the world around him. The United States is frequently seen as an archipelago during the Gilded Age because it encompasses the state of society, evolving and rapidly growing in knowledge and way of thinking. Celia Thaxter's Garden captures nature that reflects the colonial growth and the beginning settlements of America. The entire Isles Scholas collection intended to portray the beautiful and vibrant life of America – American life was not joyful for most people during this time. However, Hassam was in an environment curated for the wealthy. As a successful artist, he was one of the people who had the luxury of experiencing the Isles Scholas Islands.
Residing on the islands and surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Celia Thaxter’s house and garden, Hassam had found the perfect outlet for his creativity to flourish through his art. The garden was disastrous and ungroomed, but Hassam saw beauty within it. The liveliness, vibrant colors, and sparkle created by the sun reflect onto his artwork, allowing the viewers to see how joyous and peaceful Hassam felt here on the islands.
Childe Hassam's Celia Thaxter’s Garden, created in 1890, represents the distraction and dismission of the state of society in America during the Gilded Age. He uses French Impressionist techniques such as vibrant colors and broken brushstrokes to display the complex garden owned by Celia Thaxter, his muse and dear friend. Hassam and Thaxter’s awareness of the poppies' significance plays a role in their intentions with the painting. The presence of poppies on barren fields after wars signifies sacrifice. This painting is one of three in his collection, inspired by Celia Thaxter and her garden, Isles Scholas.
May 2023
